{"id":239,"date":"2012-09-15T02:04:17","date_gmt":"2012-09-15T06:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.briancroxall.net\/lit-tech\/?p=239"},"modified":"2012-09-15T02:04:17","modified_gmt":"2012-09-15T06:04:17","slug":"feminine-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.briancroxall.net\/lit-tech\/2012\/09\/15\/feminine-or-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Feminine or Not?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Throughout the past few weeks of reading and blogging, many people have brought up different arguments as to which theme is most prevalent and revealing in William Gibson\u2019s Neuromancer<\/em>. Sherryl Vint\u2019s \u201cCyberpunk: Return of the Repressed Body\u201d, argues that the gender roles are extremely strong in the novel, and these roles have changed. More specifically, she argues that Case loses touch with his masculine side and becomes completely susceptible to the technological advances surrounding his life. I agree to a certain, less severe, extent. I personally feel Case does not necessarily lose touch with his masculinity but rather it is Molly to gains power, only making Case appear feminine. I also think Case does have some control over his actions, however small that power may be, I feel he has the ability to break away from the overpowering forces of technology and become his own person.<\/p>\n

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Vint interprets Case\u2019s passive, soft behavior as feminine. She points out a scene in the novel where Case sees a glimpse of his image in the real world. Case sees \u201ca white-faced, wasted figure, afloat in a loose fetal crouch\u201d (Gibson 256). Vint suggests the \u201cweak, pale, passive\u201d adjectives are \u201ctypically feminized terms\u201d (Vint 105). I would not go as far as she has. Case is about to go into Molly\u2019s reality, which, in his eyes, is very powerful. I think what Case sees is almost a self-critique in comparison to the \u2018heroic\u2019 Molly. I still think Case is all male; Molly, however, just overpowers Case\u2019s personality with her own dominating presence. Vint also refers to another author in her essay, Allucquere Rosanne Stone who wrote \u201cWill the Real Body Please Stand Up?\u201d. Vint supports Stone\u2019s argument that \u201cthe technological limitations of rendering bodies in cyberspace using computer technology may actually tend to reinforce stereotypical notions about body, gender, and beauty\u201d (105). I disagree with Stone and Vint here. I think the main reason Case seems so, as Vint would say, \u2018feminine\u2019 is directly related to technology. The technological advances Case has either adapted or been injected with are the main cause of his appearing less masculine. Whether it is Case\u2019s new pancreas or the toxic sacs in his body, the new technology he has gained with the help of Armitage has significantly affected the way he reacts and looks in certain situations.<\/p>\n

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Although I agree with Sherryl Vint in that Case tends to seem less dominant than Molly, I would have to disagree with her when it comes to the reason for Case\u2019s weak demeanor. I propose that Molly\u2019s strong personality overpowers Case\u2019s frail stature ultimately making him seem less of a man. Another point of Vint\u2019s with which I strongly disagree is the role of technology. I feel technology is the main reason Case seems \u2018feminine\u2019 to Vint, even though she suspects the technology in Neuromancer<\/em> only strengthens gender roles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout the past few weeks of reading and blogging, many people have brought up different arguments as to which theme is most prevalent and revealing in William Gibson\u2019s Neuromancer. Sherryl Vint\u2019s \u201cCyberpunk: Return of the Repressed Body\u201d, argues that the gender roles are extremely strong in the novel, and these roles have changed. More specifically,<\/p>\n